Telephone system.



P. G. BERNHOLZ.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1909.

Patented May 25, 1915 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

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PHILIP G. BERNHOLZ, OF SCHENEGTADY, NEW YORK.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed July 3, 1909. Serial No. 505,908.

I To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PHILIP Gr. BERN- HOLZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Systems, of, which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to telephone systems and has for its object the provision of an intercommunicating system which is automatic and selective in character and which is reliable in operation and exceedingly simple in construction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a telephone system which is so arranged for use on party lines that one of the stations may be brought into communication with any other station without attracting the attention of any of the remaining stations, the arrangement being such that the call bell at only the desired station is rung.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby in addition to the call bell which is rung in the proper station, a drop is actuated so as to notify the party called and upon the partys return the call bells in all the stations may be rung without actuating a drop at any station, so that the party calling will be notified that his party has returned.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the spring motors which operate the system are automatically wound, thereby dispensing with attention to the apparatus.

ther objects of my invention will appear in the course of the following specification in which I have shown my invention embodied in concrete form for purposes of illustration.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a View of my improved motor mechanism and indicating device partly broken away; Fig. 2 represents a detail of the electromagnetic switch for actuating the call bell and drop; Fig. 3 represents a view of the. electromagnetic device for starting the motor; Fig. 4 represents a diagrammatic view of the system; Fig. 5 shows a slightly modified form in which a magneto is used; Fig. 6 shows an arrangement of the invention in which the spring motor is automatically wound.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 10 represents the main spring of a clock, one of which'clocks is located in each station. This clock mechanism may be of any desired and well-known type and requires no detailed description. The spring actuates the escapement 11 from the train of gears 12, 13, etc. and also operates a pointer 14 over the dial 15, forming an indicator.

On the same shaft with the pointer 14 is a disk-16 provided with two notches 17 and 18, one of which is deeper than the other for purposes hereinafter set forth. There is also mounted on the same shaft a locking disk 19 for locking the clock movement and indicator in a fixedposition. The notches on the disk 16 control the operation of the circuit closer, which is adapted to close either one or two circuits, depending upon which of the two notches 17 or 18 is in action. This electromagnetic switch comprises an electromagnet -19 provided with a spring returned armature 20 cocperating with a memher pivoted at 21. This member comprises a curved arm 22 provided with a slot for receiving the end of the armature 20, an arm 23 hook-shaped at one end so as to form a pawl to enter the notches 17 and 18, and contacting arms 24 and 25 for engaging the contacts 26 and 27 respectively. The arrangement is such that when the magnet 19 is energized, if the hook 23 is opposite the slot 18, the circuit will be closed at both contacts 26 and 27, whereas if the pawl is opposite the slot 17, a circuit will be closed only at contact 27.

A similar electromagnetic device for starting the clock mechanism comprises an electromagnet 28 provided with a spring actuated armature 29 cooperating with a pin 30 on a bell crank arm 31 pivoted at 32. At one end of the bell crank arm is a pin 33 cooperating with a pawl 34 on slotted pivot 35. This pawl engages a locking projection 36 on the disk 19 to lock the clock movement and indicator in a fixed position. On the other end of the bell crank lever is a pin 37 cooperating with a rod 38 secured to the escapement mechanism 39. The arrangement of this part of the mechanism is such that when the magnet 28 is energized, the pin 30 is engaged by the armature 29 and the lever 31 rotated on its pivot 32. The pawl 34 is moved out of engagement with the projection 36 to unlock the clock mechanism and indicator. At the same time the pin 37 engages the rod 38 to force the escapement mechanism to one limit of its travel. When the magnet 28 is denergized, the escapement is released and the clock starts. The energizing of the magnet 28 causes the pawl 34 to drop downward in its slotted pivoted conbell crank isprovided with a disk 44 of substantially the size of the indicator dial 15.

The pin 42 is so arranged that it will be engaged by the main spring 10 when the latter is unwound. By this means, when the spring has so far run downthat it requires attention, it engages the pin 42 which forces the disk 44 over the dial 13, thereby making it certain that the condition of the spring will not escape the notice of the subscriber.

Instead of employing the main spring 10, which requires winding, the motor may be automatically wound in the manner shown in Fig. 6. In this case there is provided an additional electromagnet 45 cocperating with an armature 46 pivoted at 47 and at an intermediate point provided with a pawl 48 co6perating with a ratchet wheel 49 of the clock train. A spring 50 has one end secured to the clock frame, while the other end is secured to the armature 46. WVhen the magnet 45 is energized, the armature 46 is drawn up against the tension of the spring 50 and the pawl 48 moves overthe teeth of the ratchet wheel 49. While the magnet is thus energized, there is no tendency for the clock to operate. When the magnet 45is deenergized, however, the spring becomes operative and forces the clock movement and dial around in the same manner as if the spring 10 where employed.

Referring now to Fig. 4, in which I have indicated in a diagrammatic way thegeneral arrangement of the apparatus in the various stations, R represents a receiver, T a transmitter, and B a battery, all standard telephone instruments. It will be noted that the disks 16 in the various stations C, D, E and F have the deep slots 18 located in different positions around the circumference, whereas the slots 17 occupies the same position with reference to the pawl 28, all of the indicators being shown in the off or initial position. 51 indicates a call bell and 52 a drop, one of each being located in each station. 53 indicates a relay and 54 a battery for operating the relay and also for operat-v ing the electromagnets 19, 28 and 45.

The operation of the system as above de scribed is as follows: upon closing the switch 55, which may be a push button, or any well known circuit controlling device, preferably spring-opened, the relay 53 will be energized from the battery 54 and a circuit will 7 be closed at 56 as follows: from the pole 57 of battery 54, contact 56, conductor 58 and through the electromagnets 19 and 28 in series to ground. The energizing of magnet 28 displaces the escapement and unlocks the all the stations will begin operation and the pointers 14 will revolve around the disk 15. When the pointer gets opposite thefigure 2 on the dial, button 55 is again pressed, again energizing the electromagnets 19 and 28.

The energizing of the magnet 28 at this time, however, produces no result in any of the stations, excepting the stopping of the clocks, whereas the energizing of the magnets 19 producesa result in one station only,

namely, station D, since in this station the slot 18 is opposite the pawl 23. The armature 20 is thus attracted and the two circuits are closed, one from the pole 57 of'the battery through the bell 51 contact 27 to ground and the other from conductor 58 through the drop 52 and contact 26 to ground. The bell in the station D is rungand adrop actuated but nothing occurs in any of the otherstations. The clock mechanisms in all the stations stop while switch 55 is held closed and the bell is ringing, but when the switch is released the clocks continue until the point-;

ers reach the off or zeroposition, Where they are locked. If now it should happen that the party in the station D, whose number is 2, should be out when called, upon the partys return the drop would be found actuated. This would of course indicate to him that some one had been calling him during his absence. By ringing the call bells in all of the stations, all of the parties will be notified that some one is calling who has been called. They know this. since the drop is not actuated. This ringing of all the bells is accomplished by pushing a button to start all the pointers in operation and when the pointer reachesthe position marked R, by pushing the button again all of the bells will be rung. This is so because the position marked R corresponds with the position in which the slot 17 is oppositethe pawl 23 and these slots are in the same relative position in all of the stations. This call will be answered by the party who has put in the call. The arrangement of the telephone circuits forms no part of my invention and therefore needs no further description, since it is understood that my invention is directed only to the calling features which are described in detail. It is understood that either a battery system such as is shown in Fig. 4 may be used, or the magneto system shown in Fig. 5, in which the magneto M is used in the regular Way for calling the parties. I

If thesystem of automatic'winding is used, when the switch 55 is closed the magnet 45 is energized. The tension of the spring 50 on the clock mechanism is then removed. When the push button is released the spring actuates the clock mechanism in the usual way. The spring 50 need only be sufficient to carry the pointer through a complete revolution of the dial. If, however, the hand winding mechanism shown in Fig. 2 is operated, and the clock is running down, the disk 44 will gradually begin to cover the disk 15 so that the party whose clock is beginning to run down will be obliged to wind it, otherwise it cannot be used, since the partv cannot see the numbers on the dial.

It will be seen that I have provided aselective tele hone system in which only one party will be rung at a time and a system which is entirely automatic in its operation. Vhile I have described, my invention as embodied in concrete mechanism and as operating in a specific manner for purposes or illustration in accordance with the patent statutes, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since various modifications thereof will suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. In a signaling system for telephones or the like, the combination of a plurality of stations each having a suitable call bell, a spring motor, an indicator driven thereby, an electromagnetic device provided with a switch and means controlled by said switch for starting said motors, and electromagnetic means controlled by said switch for energizing the line and ringing a call bell in a station when the indicator in said station reaches a predetermined position.

2. In a signaling system for telephones or the like, the combination of a plurality of stations each having a suitable call bell, of a spring motor and an indicator driven thereby, a switch and electromagnetic means controlled thereby for energizing the line and simultaneously starting said motors and an electromagnetic circuit closer in each station for energizing the bell circuit and having its energizing circuit controlled by said switch, and means functionally related to the indicator in a station for preventing the operation of said circuit closer until the indicator in said station has moved to a predetermined position, said position being dilierent in the various stations, so that only one circuit can be operated at a time.

3. In a signaling system for telephones or the like, the combination of a plurality of stations each having a suitable call bell, a normally locked motor and an indicator. driven thereby,'a switch for energizing the line means controlled by said switch to unlock said motors and start the same, an electromagnetic circuit closer in each station controlled by said switch for energizing the bell circuit and means driven by said motor for preventing the operation of said circuit closer until the indicator has moved to a predetermined position, said position being different in the various stations so that no two circuit closers can 'be operated simultaneously.

4;. In a signaling system for telephones or the like, the combination of a plurality of stations each having a suitable call bell, a normally locked motor and an indicator driven thereby, electromagnetic means for energizing the line and simultaneously unlocking and starting said motors, a switch for controlling said electromagnetic means, an electromagnetic circuit closer energized upon the closing of said switch for energizing the bell circuit, and means driven by said motor for preventing the opera tion of said circuit closer until the indicator has moved to a predetermined position, said position being different in the. various stations so that no two closers can be operated simultaneously.

7 5. In a signaling system for telephones or the like, the combination of a plurality of stations each having a suitable call bell, a. spring motor normally locked in initial position, means including an electromagneticdevice energized through the line for unlocking said motor when energized, and starting the same when deenergized, a, switch for controlling said electromagnetic device, an electromagnetic circuit closer energized upon the closing of said switch for energizing the bell circuit, and means driven by said motor for preventing the operation of said circuit closer until the indicator has moved to a predetermined position.

6. In a signaling system for telephones or the-like, the combination with a plurality of station selectors each comprising a motor, an indicator driven thereby, a call bell and a drop, means including a switch for startlng said motors, means controlled by said switch for ringing a call bell and actuating a drop in a station when the indicator in said station reaches a predetermined position, and ringing a bell in each of the stations without actuating the drop when the indicator reaches a second predetermined position.

7. In a signaling system for telephones or the like, the combination with a plurality of station-selectors each comprising a spring motor, an indicator driven thereby, a call bell and a drop, means including an electromagnetic device for unlocking said motor when energized and starting the motor when deenergized, an electromagnetic device for storing energy in the spring motor when energized, a switch for controlling said electromagnetic devices, means controlled by said switch for ringing a call bell and actuating a drop in a station when the indicator in said station reaches a predetermined positionyand ringing; a call bell inthe stations 10 Without actuating a drop when the indicator reaches a second predetermined position.

In witness whereof, I" have hereunto set my'hand .this 2nd day of July, 1909. r PHILIP G. BERNHOLZ. Witnesses: V ALEX. F. MAODONALD, FRANK J. SEABOLT.

Copies of this .patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the" Commissioner 01 Patents.

Washington, 11.0. 

